When Shikinami Kazuya first visited the site, there was a grove on the lot beside it. When they started to construct the House of Setagaya project these trees were already removed from the mentioned lot. On the first design of this project, the architects decided to remove the grove in the neighboring site completely. In this way, they tried to incorporate the original landscape of the city on the site.

First, they made a space that is covered by low and deep eaves. They wanted to have an adequate distance from the neighboring site in order get enough sunlight on the ground floor of the house. So, when the architects planned to set the building diagonally instead of having it parallel to the site and put trees and plants randomly surrounding the house. The remaining gaps, not covered by trees and plants, created an illusion that the lot is spacious and allowed the sunlight to enter the different areas of the house.

Second, the rooms were arranged in certain order putting into consideration how they are going to be used in daily life. The passage of the entrance, kitchen and dinning room, living room and kids room, bathroom, bed room were placed in parallel with each other so that from one perspective these rooms appear to be only one.

That grove is now completely removed and new residences have stood beside the site. Shikinami Kazuya already accomplished the design for the house but until the trees and plants grow and surpass the eaves that’s the only time when we can say that we have fully incorporated the original landscape and environment of the city. Time can only tell when our design will be fully realized naturally.